Les Viles

You only have to travel a short distance in Alta Badia before stumbling upon one of these peculiar constructions visible all over the area. Les Viles are typical Ladin houses whose creation actually originates from the Rhaetian tambra (the first evidence of alpine huts).

Les Viles are made up of three fundamental parts:

• the ciasa: which is formed by the bedrooms in the upstairs, the cellar, the storage and workrooms on the bottom floor;
• the majun, or stables;
• the tablé, or silo.

Another characteristic of les viles is the space in front, which is commonly shared by numerous houses where you can find a fountain, a drinking trough and a wood oven. In fact, one of the ancient traditions of the Ladin community was to share in some of the activities of everyday life.

Les viles are also distinguished by very unique decorative woodcarvings on their exterior, even though this art form is not actually a part of the local culture.

Thanks to rather common ancient law in South Tyrol regarding "closed farms", in which farming land is handed down exclusively to the eldest son, les viles have survived throughout time and render the present landscape of the entire Val Badia area extremely fascinating.